Chair



April 5, 1949. v. J. COLVEZ 2,466,081

CHAIR Filed 9 5 '2 Sheets-Sheet! /NVENTO/-? V/cToR I CoL VEZ pr 1949. v.J. coLvEz 2,466,081

CHAIR Filed Aug. 5, 1945 2 shgets -sheel'. 2

l/VVENTOR Z VICTOR .Z' COL VEZ ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 5, 1949 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE CHAIR Victor J. Colvez, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application August 3, 1945, Serial No. 608,744

'5 Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements to chairs, andmore particularly to chairs of the general character disclosed in myco-pending application, Serial No. 586,209, filed April 2, 1945.

An object of the present invention is to provide a reversible chaircomprising a supporting base 'and a combination seat and back unit.which is swingably mounted upon the base in such a manner that the seatand back portions of said unit may be quickly interchanged with respectto the base.

A further object is to provide a reversible chair comprising asupporting base having front and rear frame members, and a combinationseat and back unit being mounted for pivotal movement in horizontal andvertical planes upon the rear frame member, whereby the seat and backportions of said unit may be conveniently reversed or interchanged withrespect to the base to thereby more uniformly distribute wear on saidseat and back portions, and also whereby the general appearance of thechair may be varied, particularly if the seat and back portions areupbolstered with materials of different patterns.

A further and more specific object of the invention is to provide achair of the class described comprising a supporting base having frontand rear frame members, and an upright or vertical pivot being mountedin the rear frame member intermediately of the ends thereof and carryingan elongated member having bearing portions at its ends, and acombination seat and back unit of symmetrical configuration having itsrear central portion provided with suitable bearings adapted to receivethe bearing portions of the elongated member, whereby the seat and backunit is adapted for swinging movement upon the base in two directions,thereby to permit the seat and back portions to be conveniently reversedor interchanged with reference to the base, when so desired.

Other objects of the invention reside in the simple and inexpensiveconstruction'of the means for pivotally supporting the combination seatand back unit upon the base; in the provision of a reversible chairprovided with permanent front and rear portions, an having a combinationseat and back unit mounted for swinging movement on the rear framemember to permit the seat and back portions of said unit to be reversedor interchanged; in the provision of means on the front base framemember for locking the combination seat and back portion in adjustedposition on the base; and in the simplified construction of the chair asa whole, whereby it may be manufactured in quantity production atextremely low cost, and which chair, when in operative position, wiilhave "the appearance of a conventional chair and may be so handled. 7

Other objects of the invention will appear from the followingdescription and the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in theannexed claims.

In the accompanying drawings there has been disclosed a structuredesigned to carry out the various objects of the invention, but it is tobe understood that the invention is not confined to the exact featuresshown, as various changes may be made within the scope of the claimswhich follow.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of my improved chair partially broken away tomore clearly disclose the construction thereof;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the chair partially broken away to show thepivotal mounting of the seat and back unit upon the base;

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 1, but showing the combination seatand back unit partially tilted rearwardly;

Figure 4 is a view showing the seat and back unit rotated to an angle ofapproximately with reference to the base, a position assumed during thereversing of the seat and back unit;

Figure 5 is a view showing the seat and back unit swung a halfrevolution with reference to the base, and in position to be tiltedforwardly to complete the reversing of the seat and back unit upon thebase; and

Figure 6 is a View similar to Figure 1, but showing the seat and backunit in reversed position to the position shown therein.

In the selected embodiment of the invention herein disclosed, there isillustrated in the drawings a chair comprising a supporting base,generally designated by the numeral 2, comprising front and rear framemembers 3 and A, respectively, connected together by suitable side framemembers 5 and 6. The base may be supported upon suitable front and rearlegs 1 and B, and, if desired, may be covered with suitableupholstering, as indicated for example at 9.

An important feature of the present invention resides in the novelconstruction of the upper portion of the chair which comprises a combination seat and back unit, generally designated by the numeral I L Theunit I I comprises a suitable supporting frame providing angularlydisposed portions A and B which preferably are upholstered to provideseat and back portions I2 and I3, respectively, as in Figures 1, 3, 5and 6.

When the combination seat and back unit II is positioned, as shown inFigure 1, the portion A thereof provides the seat of the chair and theportion B the back. The end portions of the seat and back parts A and B,when viewing the chair, as shown in Figure 1, are provided respectivelywith cross frame members I4 and I5, and their opposite or connected endportions are connected together by cross frame members I6 and II,respectively, as shown.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the pivotalmounting of the unit II upon the supporting base 2, whereby its positionupon the base may be conveniently interchanged or shifted to reverse thepositions of the seat and back portions A and B, as will subsequently bedescribed.

To thus pivotally support the unit I I upon the base 2, an upright orvertical pivot I8 is mounted in the rear frame member 4 of thesupporting base, and supports at its upper end an elongated member orrod I9 having its central portion en gaged with the pivot pin I8,whereby the rod or member I 9 is adapted for swinging movement about theaxis of the pin I8 in substantially a horizontal plane.

The lower rear corners of the combination seat and back unit II areprovided with suitable bearings or sockets 2| and 22 adapted to receivethe terminal bearing portions of the elongated member I9, as will beunderstood byv reference to Figures 3, 4 and 5. By thus mounting theunit II upon the supporting base 2, the seat and back unit may readilybe reversed upon the base without effort, and when secured in adjustedposition upon the base, as shown in Figures 1 and 6, the chair will havethe appearance of a conventional chair and may be moved about in a roomin a similar manner.

To lock the combination seat and back unit in adjusted position upon thebase, a suitable lock screw 23 may be mounted in an angle bracket 24 orsimilar supporting device provided on the inside surface of the frontframe member 3, as best shown in Figure 4. The threaded terminal of thescrew 23 is adapted to be selectively received in threaded sockets 25provided in the end frame members 44 and I5 of the frame of the unit II.The screw may readily be manipulated by extending an arm under the frontrail or frame member 3 of the base and upwardly, as will be, understood.

In Figure 1 the combination seat and back unit is shown secured inoperative position upon the base with the portion A thereof forming theseat of the chair and the portion B the back thereof.

In Figure 3 the locking screw 23 is shown disengaged from the threadedsocket 25 in the cross rail I4, and the unit II partially tiltedrearwardly, in the initial step of reversing the unit. A from theposition shown in Figure 1 to the position shown in Figure 6.

In Figure 4, the combination seat and back unit- 90 with to the base,the lock screw 23 is moved into locking engagement with the cross railI5, thereby fixedly securing the combination seat and back unit to thebase,whereby the chair may readily be moved about from one place toanother as an ordinary chair.

The means for mounting the combination seat and back unit upon the baseis extremely simple and inexpensive, whereby it does not addparticularly to the manufacturing cost of the chair. Because of thecombination seat and back unit II being readily reversible, as hereindisclosed, the chair is given much longer life, because wear upon theupholstering I2 and I3 is more evenly -distributed, and the same appliesto the upholstering which may be provided for covering the frame'of theunit H, as indicated at .26 in Figures 1 and 6.v

In the drawings I have shown the elongated member I9 as extendingsubstantially the full width of the seat and back unit. It is to beunderstood that this member may be made shorter and the bearing portions2I and 22 of the unit II may be moved inwardly towards the center of thechair to a position shown in Figure 4, without departing from the scopeof the invention. The pivot pin I8 and elongated member I9 thuscooperate to provide free swinging, movement of the seat and back unitupon the base objects of my invention, and it will also be ap-- parentto those skilled in the art that the embodi-.

ments herein described may be variously changed and modified withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention, and that the invention iscapable of uses and has advantages not herein specifically described;hence it will be appreciated that the herein disclosed embodiments areillustrative only, and that my invention is not limited thereto.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a chair of the class described, a, suitable base including frontand rear frame members,

a combined seat and back unit including seatand back portions securedtogether in angular fixed relation, and pivot means at the intermediateportion of the rear frame member for pivotally mounting the seat andback unit on the base and whereby the seat and back unit is adapted forswinging movement in horizontal and vertical planes, thereby to permitpositioning. said unit to reverse the seat and back portions,-

thereof with respect to the base.

2. In a chair of the class described, a supporting base comprisingfront, rear and side frame members, a combined seat and back unit including seat and back portions secured together in angular relation, ahorizontally disposed member;- mounted for relative rotary movement in averti cal plane and disposed in the lower rear corner of said unit, andan upright pivot pin pivotally supporting said member on the rear framememher and cooperating with said horizontally dis-{ posed member ,topermit swinging movement of said seat and back unit in a horizontalplane, thereby to permit reversing the seat and back.-

portions of said unit with respect to the base and without detaching theunit therefrom.

3. In a chair of the class described, a supporting base, a combined seatand back unit includ-, ing seat and back portions secured together in.angular fixed relation, and pivot means located,

on the rear portion of said base intermediately of the sides thereof formounting said seat and back unit on the base, said pivot means adaptedto rotate about vertical and horizontal axes whereby the seat and backunit is adapted for swinging movement in horizontal and vertical planes,thereby to permit reversing the position of said seat and back unit uponthe base without detaching it therefrom.

4. In a chair of the class described, a supporting base, a combined seatand back unit including seat and back portions secured together inangular fixed relation, an upright pivot pin mounted on the rearportions of said base intermediately of the sides thereof, a memberpivoted on said pin and adapted for swinging movement in substantially ahorizontal plane, and means at the rear lower corner of said seat andback unit for pivotally connecting said unit to said member andcooperating with said pivot pin to permit swinging movement of the seatand back unit in horizontal and vertical planes, whereby the seat andback unit may be positioned to reverse the seat and back portionsthereof with respect to the base.

5. In a chair of the class described, a, supporting base comprisingfront, rear and side frame members, a combined seat and back unitincluding seat and back portions secured together in angular relation,an upright pivot pin mounted in the rear frame member intermediately ofthe sides of the base, an elongated member pivotally mounted on saidpivot pin and adapted for swinging movement in substantially ahorizontal plane about the axis of the pivot pin, and means at the lowerrear corner of the seat and back unit for pivotally connecting said unitto said member and whereby the unit is adapted for swinging movement ina vertical plane, said pivot pin and elongated member cooperating topermit swinging movement of the seat and back unit in horizontal andvertical planes, whereby said seat and back unit may be positioned atwill, to reverse the seat and back portions thereof with respect to thebase.

VICTOR J. COLVEZ.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 78,570 Bragg June 2, 1868 263,238St. John Aug. 22, 1882 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 468,110 GreatBritain June 29, 1937

